Broadband: At a Glance

Summer 2016Leave a comment

Broadband access and connectivity are major concerns for individuals and small businesses alike in West Virginia. Although this topic has gained a lot of traction within the state Legislature over the last few years, a plan for progress has yet to be finalized. While the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2016 Broadband Progress Report states that the number of West Virginians with access to the minimum connection speed of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and download speed of 3 Mbps increased from 44 percent to 70 percent between 2013-2014, there is still much progress to be made. These infographics offer a glimpse into the obstacles and improvements being made to connectivity in the Mountain State.

Innovation on the Map: West Virginia Regional Innovation Cluster

Summer 2016Leave a comment

In an innovation economy, several factors come together to drive economic growth: knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration. TechConnect West Virginia, acting as a catalyst for driving innovation, cultivating entrepreneurship and creating greater prosperity and economic diversity across the state, has identified a strong foundation for success in the Mountain State. Beginning in the north in Morgantown, this foundation runs south along I-79 to Charleston and west along I-64 to Huntington as evidenced on the accompanying map.

West Virginia’s Wake-Up Call

Spring 20168 Comments

Many of us remember getting in trouble as children and being disciplined. Our parents would warn that the punishment was going to hurt but that it was for our own good. Today, West Virginia is in trouble. With changes in the economy and the ebb and flow of various industries as a result of those changes, some states are riding out the storm while West Virginia continues to sink without any visible signs of rescue. It’s time for us to have a serious conversation. It’s a conversation that’s probably going to hurt, but it’s for our own good.

Appalachian Storage Hub: Realizing Our Potential

Spring 20161 Comment

The West Virginia hills were once home to an abundance of mills, factories, chemical manufacturing plants and mines that employed thousands of hardworking Mountaineers. Today, the state’s economy is struggling to deal with the loss of businesses and population, the decline of the coal industry and the fight to maintain millennials, but West Virginia’s leaders aren’t giving up. As innovators continue to look for ways to revitalize the Mountain State, obtaining regional petrochemical cracking plants—or crackers—and creating an adequate resource to put West Virginia’s oil and natural gas industry back on the map are promising priorities.

Moving the Mountain State Forward

Spring 2016Leave a comment

If you had a medium through which you could voice your concerns about West Virginia, would you use it? What if your thoughts were anonymous and you could be completely—and brutally—honest? West Virginia Executive (WVE) posed this question to its readers this past spring, and the response was a resounding “yes.” Readers from different backgrounds, professions and political affiliations submitted their honest opinions about the struggles they see West Virginia facing.

Progress Report: 2016 Legislative Session

Spring 2016Leave a comment

The West Virginia State Legislature adjourned its 2016 session on March 12 after 60 days of discussion and debate and a three-day extended budget meeting. In this year’s session, the pressure was on as West Virginians anticipated the passage of legislation that would aid the state’s struggling economy and incentivize businesses to make the Mountain State home.